honigmann



June 18, 1929. H. HONIGMANN I SHEET DRYING MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed July 5, 1927 I NVEN TOR.

ORZEYS.

June 18; 1929; H. HONIGMANN SHEET DRYING MECHANISM i e y 1927 2Sheets-Sheet 2 I N V EN TOR. r'ymamr Patented June 18, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFlQE.

HANS HONIGMANN, OF EAST CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIG-NOR TO THE CHANDLER ANDPRICE COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION" OF GHIO.

SHEET-DRYING MECHANISM.

Application filed July 5,

The present improvements relate more par ticularly to a mechanism fordrying printed sheets of paper as they are delivered from the printingcouple of a printing press. In

the case of printing presses of the bed and cylinder type, for example,the sheets are fed through at a very rapid rate, so rapid that ifimmediately stacked, the ink thereon will be fresh enough to blur oroffset. One object of the present invention, accordingly, is to providefor the transport of the sheets in separated condition from the deliverymechanism of the press to the receiving table and by thus retarding andslowing up the stack ing of such sheets, the ink thereon is given timeto dry. The arrangement of parts, furthermore, is such that artificialheat may be supplied to increase the rate of drying.

While thus designed more particularly for for use in connection withprinting presses and for drying printed sheets of paper, it is notintended to imply any limitation necessarily to this field of use, butthe present improved mechanism is equally adapted for other analogoususes where thin sheets of paper or other material. require to be dried.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention,then, consists of the means hereinafter fully described and particularlypointed out in the claims, the annexed drawings and the followingdescription setting forth in detail certain mechanism embodying theinvention, such disclosed means constituting, however, but one ofvarious me chanical forms in which the principle of the invention may beused.

In said annexed drawings Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my improveddrying mechanism shown as attached to the delivery end of a so-calledcylinder or bed and cylinder type of printing press; Fig. 2 is an endelevation of such mechanism as viewed from the left in Fig. 1; Fig. 8 isa sectional view of a portion of the mechanism taken on the planeindicated by the line 33, Fig. 2, but on a somewhat larger scale; Fig. fis a sectional view of a detail taken on the plane indicated by the line4 4, Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the same detail taken atright angles to that of Fig. 1, as indicated by the line 5-5 on thelatter; and Fig. 6 is an elevational detail.

As indicated, the present mechanism is designed to be attached to thedelivery end of printing Of such press, oniy a corre 1927. Serial No.203,504.

sponding end portion of the main frame 1 is shown in Fig. 1 with thebelt conveyor 2 suitably supported thereabove by means of which thesheets after being printed are successively borne away for deposit onthe delivery or receiving table 3. The latter, as shown, inclinesslightly inwardly, being carried on the upper end of a rack support 4that is slidably held in a suitable bracket 5 attached to the mainframe 1. Guides 6 that extend upwardly at an appropriate angle ofinclination from bracket 5 at the same time serve as a rest for thestack of paper accumulating on table 3 and as a support for the outerend of the delivery mechanism.

A pinion 7 that meshes with the rack teeth on support 4 and an operatinghandle 8 for said pinion serve to raise and lower table 3, but it willbe understood that additional means, not shown and forming no part ofthe present invention, will ordinarily be provided automatically thus tolower the table at the proper rate of speed.

The drying mechanism of present interest is supported from therespective guide members 6 by two horizontally extending parallel arms10. In the outer ends of each of the latter (see Fig. 2) a vertical rod11 is adjustably secured by means of a set screw 12, and the two rodsare in turn connected together at their lower ends by a cross member orbar 18 rigidly secured to such ends and at their upper ends by acorresponding cross member or bar 14- that is adjustably secured to therods by means of sleeves 15 that have threaded engagement with suchends.

The cross member 13 is formed with a pair of transverse slots 16 in eachof which is ad-' justably mounted an inwardly projecting stud shaft 17that carries a pulley or sprocket wheel 18, the latter lying closelyadjacent the inner face of the member, as shown in Fig. 1. The uppercross member 14 is provided with slots 19 that correspond in locationwith the slots 16 in the lower cross member and in each such slot 19 issimilarly adjustably mounted a stud shaft 20 that carries a pulley orwheel 21., such pulley or wheel 21 being vertically aligned with respectto pulley or wheel 18. Around each such pair of vertically alignedpulleys or wheels there is passed an endless belt or chain 22, to theouter face of which is attached a series of horizontally extendinginwardly projecting fingers These are securely riveted or otherwise CPIallixed to the belts so as to lie in substantially parallel relationwith each other at all. times and they are furthermore equidistantlyspaced on such belts and the latter so adjusted that correspondingfingers on their adjacent portions will lie approximately in the sameplane.

Journaled in suitable bearings 25, located at the respective ends of thelower cross member or bar 13 is a transverse shaft 26, one end of which,that at the left as shown in Fig. 2,

projects a short distance beyond the corresponding bearing and has fixedthereon a handled lever 2". A helical spring 28 that surrounds suchprojecting portion of the shaft is secured at one end to the bearing andat the other to the lever so as to tend normally to rotate the latterand thus the shaft in a predetermined direction, e. g.counter-clockwise, as shown in Fig. 1. A link 29 is conneet d at one endto the lever 27 and at its other end to an intermittently moving member(not. shown) of the press whereby said lever and thus the shaft isneriodicall rocked in the opposite direction. Adjustably keyed on theshaft 2'6 are two short levers 30, the inner ends of which are designedto lie alongside of the respective bolts 22. Transversely reciprocablein such lever ends are pins or plungers 83 that are normally pressedtowards the belts by means of springs 34 that bear against their innerends, the engagement of such springs with the inner ends of the pinsbeing such (see Fig. as to hold the pins against rotation. The innerends of the pins, as likewise best shown in Fig. 5, are cut straightacross and beveled slightly so as to be adapted to engage with thesuccessive fingers fixed to said belt, that is, the portion of thefinger that overlies the belt.

The extent of the portions of the fingers wherewith the pins 33 thusengage is such that having regard to the angle of oscillation of shaft26 and the arms 80 carried thereby, said pins while in engagement withthe fin- .gers upon clockwise movement of the shaft will force thefingers and thus the corresponding belts down far enough so that uponreverse oscillation of the shaft and arms, the fingers will be broughtinto engagement with the next succeeding pair of fingers. In otherwords, the intermittent motion imparted to the shaft in the manner justdescribed serves in turn to impart an intermittent movement to thesuccessive belts and the fingers carried thereby.

The operation of the mechanism as a whole should be readily understoodfrom the foregoing description of its construction and the operation ofits several component parts. As successive sheets are discharged by thede livery conveyor 2, a pair of fingers 23 will lie in proper positionto receive such sheet, the distance between the belts being adjusted byshifting the positions of the stud' shafts 17 and so that such sheetwill be nicely balanced. by such fingers without bending enough to dropbetween them. The movement of the delivery conveyor is of courseco-ordinated with the operation of the press just as is the oscillationof shaft 26. Accordingly, in the interval between the delivery of thesuccessive sheets, the shaft will oscillate to lower the fingers onwhich the previous sheet has been thus received sufiiciently to bringthe next pair of fingers into sheet receiving position. As the fingersreach the lowermost por tion of their path of travel, they aresimultaneously carried outwardly around the corresponding lowermostpulleys or wheels 18 until they are finally entirely disengaged from thesheet and the latter is left free to drop onto the table 3.

As previously indicated, means may be provided to accelerate the dryingof the sheets as they are thus lowered into spaced relation by means ofthe mechanism just described. Thus, for example, a series of electricheating elements carried in a suitable frame, as shown in Fig. 6, may besupported forwardly of and adjacent the free ends of the fingers. Theframe, as shown, is in the form of a curved reflector by which the heatfrom the elements 35 will be directed across the sheets as they arecarried downwardly by the fingers past the heater.

For the purpose of insuring proper align ment of the sheets as they aredeposited on the table 3, a stop bar 40 will be desirably employed, suchbar depending vertically between the two belts and being adjustablysupported at its upper end by means of a rod ll that is secured to theupper transverse member of the frame by a set screw 42. It will thus beseen that the bar may be readily adjusted inwardly or outwardly to takecare of sheets of different width, so that as such sheets are receivedon the fingers from the delivery conveyor, they will be uniformlypositioned as well as held against displacement throughout their path oftravel until they are finally dropped onto the table.

Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employedinstead of the one explained, change being made as regards the mechanismherein disclosed, provided the means stated by any of the followingclaims or the equivalent of such stated means he em ployed.

I therefore particularly point out. and distinctly claim my invention 1.In mechanism of the character described, the combination of a pair ofvertically disposed endless belts; horizontally directed, parallelfingers attached to said belts, and projecting axially, and means forintermittently moving both belts.

2. In mechanism of the character described, the combination of a pair ofvertically disposed endless belts; horizontally pro till j ecting,parallel fingers attached to said belts; and means successively engagingthe fingers to intermittently move the belts in unison.

3. In mechanism of the character described, the combination of a pair ofvertically disposed endless belts; horizontally projecting, parallelfingers attached to said belts; means adapted intermittently to move thelatter in unison; and a vertical stop bar located intermediately of saidbelts.

4. In mechanism of the character described, the combination of a. pairof vertically disposed endless belts; horizontally pro j ecting,parallel fingers attached to said belts; means adapted intermittently tomove the latter in unison; and a vertical stop bar locatedintermediately of said belts and adjustable transversely of the planethereof.

5. In mechanism of the character described, the combination of a pair ofvertically disposed endless belts; horizontally directed, parallelfingers attached to said belts and pro jecting axially; means adaptedintermittently to move the latter in unison; and radiant heating meanslocated. adjacent to the path of travel of said fingers.

6. In mechanism of the character described, the combination with a frameincluding two transversely disposed members; two pulleys mounted on eachof said members, said pulleys lying in approximately the same plane, andcorresponding pulleys being vertically aligned; an endless belt passingaround each two vertically aligned pulleys; means for varying thespacing between the belts; and horizontally projecting fingers attachedto said belts.

7. In mechanism of the character described, the combination with a frameincluding two transversely disposed members; two pulleys mounted on eachof said members, said pulleys lying in approximately the same plane, andcorresponding pulleys being vertically aligned; an endless belt passingaround each two vertically aligned pulleys; horizontally projectingfingers attached to said belts and projecting axially; and meansincluding a rock-shaft for intermittently moving the belts in unison.

8. In mechanism of the character described, the combination with a frameincluding two transversely disposed members adjustable relatively toeach other; two pulleys mounted on each of said members, said pulleyslying in approximately the same plane, and corresponding pulleys beingvertically aligned; an endless belt passing around each two verticallyaligned pulleys; and horizontally projecting fingers attached to saidbelts.

9. In mechanism of the character described, the combination with a frameincluding two bracket supports, rods Vertically adjustably secured tosaid supports, and two transversely disposed members secured in turn tosaid rods so as to be adjustable relatively to each other; two pulleysmounted on each of said members, said pulleys lying in approximately thesame plane, and corresponding pulleys being vertically aligned; anendless belt passing around each two vertically aligned pulleys; andhorizontally projecting fingers attached to said belts.

10. In mechanism of the character described, the combination with aframe includ ing two transversely disposed members; two pulleys mountedon each of said members, said pulleys lying in approximately the sameplane, and corresponding pulleys being vertically aligned; an endlessbelt passing around each two vertically aligned pulleys; horizontallyprojecting fingers attached to said belts; and means adaptedintermittently to move the latter in unison, said means incl uding anoscillatory shaft extending transversely of said belts and memberscarried thereby adapted to engage directly with the portions of saidfingers overlying said belts.

11. In mechanism of the character described, the combination with aframe including two transversely disposed members; two pulleys mountedon each of said members, said pulleys lying in approximately the sameplane, and corresponding pulleys being vertically aligned; an endlessbelt passing around each two vertically aligned pulleys; horizontallyprojecting fingers attached to said belts; and means adaptedintermittently to move the latter in unison, said means including anoscillatory shaft extending transverse ly of said belts and resilientlyactuated plungers carried thereby and adapted to engage directly withthe portions of said fingers overlying said belts upon oscillation ofsaid shaft in one direction.

12. In mechanism of the character described, the combination with aframe including two transversely disposed members; two pulleys mountedon each of said members, said pulleys lying in approximately the sameplane, and corresponding pulleys being vertically aligned; an endlessbelt passing around each two vertically aligned pulleys; horizontallyprojecting fingers attached to said belts; and means adaptedintermittently to move the latter in unison, said means including anoscillatory shaft extending transversely of said belts andv memberscarried by and longitudinally adjustable along said shaft, said membersbeing adapted to engage directly with the portions of said fingersoverlying said belts.

Signed by me, this 1st day of July, 1927.

HANS HONIGMANN.

